Markley, Robertson Face Off In 16th Senate District

There are four towns and a city in the 16th Senate District, but the campaign this year is a neighborly contest, with the incumbent and his last-minute challenger living on adjoining streets in Southington.

Joe Markley, 57 and a Republican, is seeking a fourth term, though not consecutive: He first won in 1984, then ran again in 2010, winning that year and in 2012. He had no opponent this year until Christopher Robertson decided in late August to run.

"I do not think anyone should run unopposed for office," said Robertson, 49, a Cheshire native who has lived in Southington since the late 1990s.

He was endorsed by the Working Families Party and later cross-endorsed by the Democratic committees in Waterbury, Cheshire, Prospect, Wolcott and Southington, all within the 16th Senate District. Robertson is a Democrat and ran in 1990 in Cheshire as the party's candidate for the 89th House Seat.

Markley's focus this election on statewide issues is reflected in his campaign website, which lists as issues his belief that state spending and borrowing is out of control; that it is government's task to make it easier for businesses to create jobs; that the state's embrace of the national Common Core education curriculum is wrong; and that the state needs a "workable death penalty."

"The interests of the district can't be separated from the good of the state. Unless Connecticut recovers, our communities will sink with it. That's why I believe helping to plot a better direction for the state is my top priority," Markley said via email Thursday. "Of course I have to defend the interests of the district, and make sure that we receive our fair share of assistance and attention, but legislative service requires a vision higher than a scramble for grants, and Senate districts are too large and diverse for a parochial approach to work. Certainly there are local needs which justify state involvement; I'd say brownfield remediation is a priority for Waterbury and for many other communities, and it's been strongly supported by the entire local delegation."

Robertson said he's heard comments from people when he is out campaigning "that Markley votes no, no matter what."

"I think I've got a lot of wiggle room in this campaign. I came into this race late but I think it will be a lot closer than people think," Robertson said.

Robertson, a regional sales manager with National Chemical Laboratories, based in Philadelphia, said his re-entry into politics is coming after concentrating on helping raise three children who are now young adults.

He said he is concerned about the shaky economy and the lingering post-recession struggle people are having finding work. He said many people he's met since August have told him they think of moving elsewhere in hope of having an easier time providing for their families.

He also said increasingly sharp partisan division in politics is hurting people by disrupting government.

"Whether we have a Republican or a Democrat in office, we are all Americans first and should work for each other," he said.